Solving Problems

Author's Note: As we all go through change and try to fight our problems, just remember, you're not alone. 

Many people go through change. Whether someone changes them or an event impacts their emotions. I for one have gone through change. There was a point in time where I was going through the same phase as Haymitch; lonely, hopeless and careless. My family was there when I was struggling, that gave me so much more encouragement. Just like how Haymitch gained hope for Katniss and Peeta.

Haymitch was the only District 12 victor in The Hunger Games. He takes advantage of being the winner; he uses the wealth carelessly and is drunk most of the time. I know this because towards the end of the reaping, he fainted and embarrassed himself. The mentor of all tributes of District 12 is Haymitch, including Peeta and Katniss.

Haymitch was a depressed man. You can tell that he is depressed is because he uses his wealth and alcohol to cover up what he was going through. He has no family, no friends, and no one is there for him. Just think, what if you didn't have anyone that you could go and talk to them. Or if you were actually forever alone. That's how Haymitch felt. As he grows a relationship with Katniss and Peeta, he starts to feel the love that he had not felt in a long time.

Katniss comes out a little bit bitter when she first meets Haymitch. Peeta is interested in Haymitch so he knows some strategies to stay alive. As he starts to notice that both of them have potential to be the winner, he supports them and wants them to win. They influenced him to be a more generous and caring person. While the games come to an end, it is almost as if all three of them can taste the victory.

Haymitch obviously wasn't the most prettiest flower in the garden, but you can't blame him. He had no life besides drinking and wealth. You start to notice that he finds hope because there was something different about Katniss and Peeta. They had that "thing" that other past tributes didn't have before. During the games, he starts to gain sponsors for Peeta and Katniss. That was a sign of him caring and wanting Peeta and Katniss to survive. He finally found his heart.

Haymitch from The Hunger Games and Kate from My Sister's Keeper are two similar characters. Although their situations are different, their feelings are quite alike. When Peeta and Katniss first meet Haymitch, they think that he's a drunk, scruffy, old guy, but really, he's depressed. As the games start approaching, he starts to find and gain hope. You now ask how are these two related? Kate, from My Sister's Keeper, was also depressed because she had leukemia. Once she meets Taylor who is just like her she starts to feel like a normal teenage girl. She gained hope by meeting someone just like her.

Kate, Haymitch, and I were all in the same phase. So are other people in this world. We all have our own problems. Whether it’s a problem that is important or not as important, no problem is too small to solve. There is a solution to every problem.

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.” – Albert Einstein 

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

Author's Note: Here is an essay that is about a quote that Helen Keller recited. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Enjoy :)


"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller was the inspirational individual who said this. To me, this quote is saying without adventures, life would be so uninteresting. It would be like a picture with no colors. It would be like a singer singing a beautiful song in monotone. It would be like a delicious plate of food tasting stale.  If life wasn't enthralling, it would be as dreadful as a history book. 

An adventure is all about having a thrilling experience. Some people go on small adventures; say like exploring the woods. Others may go to a whole different level and go skydiving or bungee jumping. Going on adventures at a small age is important because it teaches kids about what's really out there in the real world and how different it is from just a computer screen and a tv. Kids should have real adventures instead of fake ones, like Dora the Explorer. Even going out to your backyard and finding things is an adventure. 

If only we could be like kids going on little adventures; taking risks everyday. Life is all about taking risks, making it colorful and beautiful. As most people are familiar with, many people call it "Y.O.L.O". You only live once. This has made such an impact on many peoples lives; even celebrities. Drake's song "The Motto" has Y.O.L.O. in it. Y.O.L.O has almost inspired everyone to be a risk taker. 

Whether it's Y.O.L.O, an adventure in life, or even skydiving, those are all adventures. Without adventures in life, there would be no color in picture, a monotone song, and a stale piece of food. Inspirational quotes make you think about life; what is this really talking about? Am I adventurous? As Helen Keller said "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Or is life....nothing?

Patriots Pen Essay

Author's Note: This is my patriots pen essay. I didn't try my hardest, so don't take this essay too seriously. Don't worry, I didn't submit it. 

 Appreciation. The definition of appreciation is thankful recognition. We should be grateful that our founding fathers started our country. Although they made some mistakes, they started off outstanding. If we didn't have our founding fathers, our country wouldn't be the same as it is present day. To the founding fathers of our country, I would like to say thank you. 

Saying thank you to our fathers is important. The founding fathers of America made our constitution well, with some things that have changed now. One thing that hasn't changed since our founding fathers signed that piece of paper was freedom. Freedom of anything. Freedom of religion. Freedom of speech. When America was first found, Europeans weren't allowed to have freedom of religion. They had to believe in what their family believed in or how their lifestyle was. This was one of the main reasons why people came to America.

Another reason why people wanted to settle in America was because there were more job opportunities when America was first found. Since America was a new country, there were a ton of job opportunities. Back where other people came from, there were so many people that settled in Europe that they didn't many job opportunities. Jobs were important because that is how people make a living, support their families and survive. Jobs are still the #1 thing concerned present day. Since the election is coming up, people are going to vote for the candidate who offers and creates more jobs. 

Jobs and freedom are two of many reasons why many people decided to come and settle in the U.S. As some people enjoy life as it is, they should think about what life would be like without our founding fathers. Without their start, we wouldn't be where we are today. To our founding fathers, once again, I would like to say thank you.

Sunsets In Paradise

Author's Note: In Language Arts class, we were told to write a descriptive piece about the beach. Here is mine!


As I watch the sunset, I enjoy my cookies and cream ice cream. I feel the warm summer breeze going right through my hair while slowly placing my head on his shoulder. It were as if a dream was coming true; me and my dream guy watching the sunset together. Hearing the waves crashing makes the moment even more special. Turning my head to the right, I see an old couple walking on the boardwalk. Thinking to myself "I want to have that kind of a relationship when I'm older." When I turn back around I see that he's gone. "Had someone come and kidnapped him?" I thought? Looking around, I was so confused. He had left me. I sit down on the sand trying to hold back the tears while watching the sunset by myself. Soon, I couldn't take it anymore. I started balling in my own arms with my head to my knees. As someone taps me, I look up and there he is. Standing there singing me a sweet sweet song. I couldn't help but to put a smile on my face. After hearing his harmonious voice, he gives me a speech of how are relationship has been for the past 2 years. As he gets on one knee, I couldn't believe what was happening. Then came the big question "Will you marry me?" Immediately, I start crying and screamed yes. The sunset made my ring look even more stunning than it really was. It's been 5 years since that special day. 

Society

Author's Note: Here is a conflict/resolution piece that I wrote for language arts. It's about the book, The Hunger Games, and what the conflict was.

Some people are so grateful to be living in the society we live in right now. Others may not be as grateful. If our society was like The Hunger Games, life would be so different compared to now. In this book there is 12 districts. Every year, 24 tributes fight for their lives, only one will survive. Every child, from each district, 12-18 years old's name will be placed in a glass bowl. Katniss and Peeta both get picked to represent District 12. As the news hits them like a ton of bricks, they only have a couple of minutes to say their goodbyes. They both head off to training camp where the other 22 other tributes come together and learn how to win and be the last one standing. 

The main conflict in this book is person vs. society. Society in this point of time, is very different then present time. President Snow forces a boy and girl from each district to fight for their lives in "The Hunger Games". This lesson is suppose to toughen up children 12-18 years old. How this government is arranged, leaves me a little disturbed.

This reminds me of how other countries in this world have a dictator. Alike from President Snow. It's different from our world because our country has freedom. People of our country choose to fight for us: the tributes fought for their life and for entertainment to the Capital. Knowing about other countries that have dictators helped me understand what it was like living in that point of time.

Even though this or any dictatorship isn't right, there always is a resolution to the conflict.  Towards the end of the games, the Gamemakers decide to throw a twist and change up the rules. If both tributes from the same district were the last two to remain, they would both be able to survive and be victors of the games. Overall, this made me think a lot about dictatorship. What do you think about it? 

Minutes Until Death

Author's Note: This piece is a cause and effect piece we were assigned in Language Arts. It's about the book The Hunger Games and the climax and the cause and effect of the book. I wrote this to demonstrate my understanding of climax. 

Peeta and Katniss both get chosen from District 12 to fight for their lives in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were an annual event for the Capital's enjoyment. As they go through training and convincing the people of the Capital to sponsor them, they start to try to impress everyone so they can survive. They get a major makeover and also do interviews live everywhere. Only one survives every year, but this year, there's a twist. 

First, the climax in the story was all 24 tributes going into the horrifying Hunger Games. As they all try to put a poker face on, they are all terrified of dying. The beeps of anticipation gets the tributes heart's racing. Right after the rambunctious beep, they all run towards to all the survival things: water, food, sleeping bags, etc. While the games go on for a couple of days, more and more tributes start to die and alliances start to form. They forgot to remember not to trust anyone. 

Before all of this chaos, all 24 tributes had to go through a process. They all had to go through painful makeover to look impressive to the public. As the training process goes on, enemies start to form and get stronger. The training teaches them how to keep themselves alive. Each district gets a mentor. There has only been one successful man who has won the Hunger Games in District 12; Haymitch takes so much advantage of the wealth, that he becomes an alcoholic. Peeta and Katniss are apprehensive and timid about going into the Hunger Games and dying. 

If Peeta didn't have Katniss and Katniss didn't have Peeta, the story wouldn't be the same. This could relate to the real world. Some people may not be able to live without a certain person or maybe just friends or family. To me, my family and friends are really important for me because I know that they will always be there for me. That they would catch me when I fall. Just like Katniss and Peeta.

Inspiration

Author's Note: In class, we were told to write a personal narrative that is a "seed" instead of a "watermelon". The "watermelon" is the big picture of a story. A "seed" story is the main message without any unnecessary details.

Some celebrities are an inspiration to individuals. Others may say someone who has made an impact in their life may be an inspiration to them, such as a family member or a very close friend. One person that has made a tremendous impact in my life,  is my grandmother. In 2008, when I went to South Korea, it was the last time I had seen her. Korea was a whole new experience for me. I learned so much and had such an amusing time. 

As I look around my grandmother's house, the first thing that draws my attention was the giant window that captured the city lights. I am so amazed how my own grandmother lived in this spectacular apartment with a breathtaking view. It was as if it was pulled out of a movie. My sisters and I were escorted to our room that we would be staying at for about the next couple of weeks. By looking around, this was nothing like home. No bed; just an empty room with a couple of blankets. 

Right as we arrived at the apartment, my grandmother wanted to go sightseeing around where she lived with my sister's and I after dinner. I wasn't so psyched about going. After all, I was jet lagged. We went to a local grocery store and she bought us all ice cream. When I was eating my ice cream, there were thoughts running through my head "What a cool grandma! Buying us ice cream at 11:30 PM!"  As we would sleep, she would wake up at 2:00 AM to cover us with blankets and go back to sleep. 

Some nights she would just watch us sleep. I thought that it was a little creepy that she would just sit there and wait for us to shut our eyes and have sweet dreams. Whenever my sisters and I wanted to go somewhere with my cousin, she would always want to tag along as if she was our bodyguard. The reason why she did this was because she wanted to spend every moment with us as if there was no tomorrow. Even when we wanted to go on a walk around the neighborhood or go to the playground, she would always follow us. By this time, I was so sick of her following us around and always tagging along.

Honestly, I thought that my grandmother was annoying when I went to Korea. I then realized that she wasn't try to irritate my sister's and I. My grandmother wanted to show how much she loved us by caring for us and pouring tons and tons of love on us. She was like a friend who listened. A friend who understood and comforted you. No matter what. If we were half way around the world, or if she was in the middle of doing something, she would be there. Family first was really first for her. She thought this because no matter what, us as a family would be for her whenever. She didn't need anyone else as long as we, as a family, were there for her.